The latest Subaru XV can do things and go places most other compact SUVs either can’t or wouldn’t dream of. And we were in the right place to demonstrate that.

I joined other motoring journalists on a bleak Cotswolds airfield last week for the launch of the very latest model, updated from the 2012 original. It was (in Yorkshire parlance) siling down and blowing a gale but for you, dear reader, I withstood everything Nature could throw at me to see what all the fuss was about with this car.

The XV is equipped with permanent four-wheel drive (Image: David Mullany)

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“XV is ideal for people who need complete confidence their car can drive safely with optimum grip and stability in adverse conditions such as rain, floods, icy hills and on tricky terrain including muddy fields,” Subaru proudly states. And it’s true . . . Tackling a specially-arranged off-road course with an expert to hold my hand (not literally, you understand), the car passed every test with flying colours.

In one particularly tricky section, with the wheels buried in deep mud, a 90-degree turn to complete before going into a really steep uphill climb, the XV seemed to be saying “is that the best you can do” as we powered up with the merest few turns of the wheel to keep the momentum going.

At that point I couldn’t think of one rival car that would have acquitted itself so well. And still can’t.

The “X mode” system, fitted as standard, optimises the four-wheel drive system (Image: David Mullany)

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As well as being powered (like all Subaru vehicles) by a Boxer engine, which aids handling because of being positioned lower down, and therefore giving the car a lower centre of gravity, the XV is also equipped with permanent four-wheel drive, compared to many rivals which are front-wheel drive only.

Even when those rivals do have an all-wheel option, Subaru’s unique set-up will most likely still better it. It’s a symmetrical system; completely symmetrical front to rear, left to right. The advantage of this over a traditional 4WD is the weight of the engine and gearbox are spread across the front axle with equal length drive shafts, resulting in perfect weight distribution across the chassis as well as a straight route for traction to all wheels.

The “X mode” system, also fitted as standard, optimises the four-wheel drive system to ensure it works best whatever is thrown at it and along with hill descent, also standard, it is a very very impressive system.

This Subaru is also chock full of safety systems, fitted as standard, to give extra driver confidence, whatever the conditions. The most impressive is called Eyesight, which uses cameras mounted to either side of the rear-view mirror to monitor the road for potential hazards up to 110 metres ahead.

Safety features include pre-collision braking, which will apply the brakes at up to 31mph (Image: David Mullany)

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The system offers things like adaptive cruise control, pre-collision throttle management (clever stuff that will cut the engine if, for instance, you are facing a wall and select forward instead of reverse), lane departure warnings, lane keep assist and lead vehicle start alert, which prompts the driver that traffic has started moving.

Best of all is pre-collision braking that will apply the brakes (up to 31mph) if you are about to hit something and the car detects you are not taking avoiding action.

We tried it by driving at a polystyrene “brick” wall - slightly unnerving to begin with, but the good news is it works.

So, a lot of positives but I’m still not sure the Subaru XV will attract legions of buyers. The simple truth is most of us will never want to be extracting ourselves from swamps, floods or rocky mountain roads. And once you discount that from the wanted list, the car begins to lose sight of its rivals.

Safety features include Eyesight, which uses cameras to monitor the road for hazards (Image: Matt Kimberley)

Potential other choices, says Subaru, are the Honda HR-V, Mazda CX-3 and Toyota CH-R. I would add Nissan Qashqai, SEAT Ateca and the recently-review Skoda Karoq to the list.

We only had a limited time to put the car through its paces on the open road but in the short time we did have, all those other cars mentioned offered a far more engaging drive.

The engine choice is between two petrol units - a 1.6 and a 2-litre, offering either 112 or 154 horsepower. Disappointingly, neither is turbocharged which is probably the reason we didn’t think they responded that well.

Both also come with only a CVT automatic gearbox and despite Subaru’s claims to have overcome typical complaints about such systems, it still felt typically noisy and prone to surge at quite alarming revs when accelerating.

Despite the current anti-diesel vibe going round, it’s disappointing there’s not that choice offered, which would have meant more attractive fuel consumption figures - the 1.6 is claimed to do 44.1mpg and the 2-litre 40.9mpg, but in reality you won’t come close to that.

I also feel the car is expensive - from £24,995 to £28,495 on the road, which is quite a hike on the previous 2017 models (£22,495 to £27,495).

The XV is a massively improved car in terms of fit and finish (Image: David Mullany)

While the new XV might not look massively different to the outgoing version, it is a massively improved car in terms of fit and finish and is also built on a completely new platform. There are two trim levels, SE and SE Premium.

The quality of soft touch plastics and finishes have been improved across the interior, without losing the functionality and hard-wearing features that Subaru customers love. Superior comfort is provided from a new sculpted seat shape and design, with firm upper-body support provided by the seat backs.

All variants now have heated front seats as standard and are finished with orange overstitching that is repeated in the decorative panels, dash and door trim.

The SE level is equipped with charcoal grey fabric seat trim that benefits from a stylish yet practical pattern which conceals small stains and blemishes. SE Premium features leather seats that include an 8-way power adjustable driver’s seat.

All models have dual-zone air-con, automatic and steering-response headlights, auto wipers with de-icer function, power-folding and heated door mirrors, front and rear fog lights, electric parking brake, keyless entry, CD/DAB radio with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, reversing camera, eight-inch touchscreen and 4.3-inch multi-information display, so you can perhaps begin to see why the prices are so high.

SE Premium adds in things like bigger alloys, a sat-nav and powered sunroof.

I have to say I need to spend longer with this car driving it on the open road; I’ve certainly got no complaints about its off-road capabilities. So for the moment, I’m slightly underwhelmed.